Hospitals run smoothly after city loosens COVID management

Both public hospitals and international medical facilities in the city are reporting a stable number of fever patients, after the city loosened rules on pandemic management.

They have adopted a smooth procedure to ensure patients can receive timely treatment, no matter if they are COVID-positive or not.

Though there has been a small rise of COVID-positive people in fever clinics, the entire medical operation in local hospitals is in good order.

Hospital officials stated people with no or light symptoms needn't seek admission. Instead they can have a good rest, while taking certain medicines and conducting observation at home.

Officials from Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital said there has been no big rise in its fever clinic admissions in recent days.

Fever patients without 48-hour negative nucleic acid test results only need to receive an antigen test outside the fever clinic and can receive treatment in designated places in accordance with the result.

If the antigen test is positive, patients who are not in serious condition can return home after treatment. While those with serious condition will be hospitalized, hospital officials said.

Ruijin Hospital said it has established a buffer area outside its emergency department and conducted classified management. Critical patients can be sent to the buffer area for immediate rescue while undergoing instant antigen and nucleic acid test at the same time.

The hospital also set up special wards and areas at its outpatient and hospitalization sections to ensure the treatment of infectors and non-infectors, according to Chen Erzhen, Ruijin's vice president.

"We encourage patients with chronic and common diseases to use the online service for medicine prescriptions instead of visiting the hospital to reduce risk," Chen said.

Ti Gong

International hospitals

International hospitals are also in full preparation.

Officials from Shanghai United Family Hospital said it had received three to four positive patients each day since Friday.

Fever patients who have no 48-hour negative nucleic acid report should receive an antigen test on the spot. Patients with negative or positive results can receive treatment in different areas at the emergency department to avoid infection.

The emergency doctors will carry out evaluation and give treatment on positive patients and make relevant decision – prescribing medicine and recruiting for hospitalization.

Officials from Shanghai Health Promotion Center said COVID-19 infectors without symptoms or with slight symptoms needn't be overly concerned. Good rest, proper personal hygiene and taking medicine in line with the symptoms are enough.

While elderly people, those with chronic disease and children should visit the hospital if suffering from high fever for days, difficulty in respiration, poor appetite, while infants younger than three months should be taken to hospital whenever having a fever.

People whose symptoms become better or vanish, and whose self antigen test is negative plus two nucleic acid tests with negative results, can go out and resume normal life, the center said.